Windmill-pitman and means for its automatic lubrication.



No. 756,775. PATENTED APR. 5, 1904.

` W. P. BRETT. WTNDMILL PITMAN AND MEANS TOR ITS AUTOMATIC LUBRTGATION.APPLICATION FILED FBB. 13. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented April 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE..` y

WILLIAM P. BRETT, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,775, dated April 5,1904.

Application lled February 13, 1902. Serial No. 93,910. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, VTLLIAM P. BRETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Windmill, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of windmills known as the upright orvertical wheel windmill; and the objects of my invention are,rfirst, toprovide a Windmill-head in compact form in which all of the bearings ofthe power-transmitting parts mounted therein are automaticallylubricated during the operation of the windmill; second, to provide anincasement or protecting inclosure for said bearings and the reservoirsfrom which they are lubricated, which in itself constitutes the mainframe of vthe windmill-head; third, to produce a windmill in which theseparate parts may be cheaply manufactured in convenient interchangeableform, and, fourth, to provide the wheel-shaft.

a windmill that is extra strong and durable and in which the dierentparts are in form to facilitate their assemblage. I attain these objectsby the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l is a substantially central vertical section through thewindmill-head in line with Fig. 2 is a top view of a part of thewindmill-head as seen when the cover portion A is removed. Fig. 3 is avertical section through Fig. 2 on line .a y. Fig. 4 is a view of thepitman as seen when looking in the direction indicated by the arrow inFig. l. Fig. 5 is a top view of the cross-head 14 with the cap 18removed; and Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the connecting-bars cand of the wheel-shaftbearings on line o w, Fig. 2.

Similar letters and iigures refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The incasement comprising the three sections A, B, and Cv constitutesthe main frame or turn-table of the windmill and is provided with thevcrtically-apertured pivot portion 26 and 26 at its lower part, which isadapted to be rotatably mounted upon the tower-cap D as thesupporting-bearing for the turn-table. It is preferable to have thispivot portion encompass and be rigidly secured to the upper part of atubular shaft, as 22, which is adapted to pass through and rotate in thetower-cap D with its lower end rotatably secured at a lower positionwithin the tower. The upwardlyprojecting annular part 26, in connectionwith the adjacent portion of the incasement-section C, constitutes theoil-reservoir 2O in the lower part of the incasement or windmill-head,into which the downwardly-projecting parts of the cross-head slides 19and 19 are adapted to project and contact with the lubricant containedtherein when the cross-head .is at the lower limit of its stroke. Theintermediate section of the main frame or incasement poi'- tion of thewindmill-head B is provided with a lateral extension having anoil-reservoir, as 9, and suitable supports therein, as 7 for thewheel-shaft bearings and adjacent to and extending some distance belowsaid lateral extension another oil-reservoir lO, which opens upwardlywithin the main or body portion of the incasement and having the innerwall 24 stand in a position so as to leave an open space within theincasement which extends from the bottom to the top thereof. The uppersection A of the incasement is simply a cap or cover made to conform insize and shape to the section next below and is provided with thelaterallyextending ange 3, which is adapted to be iirmly bolted to theiiange 2 of section B. Each section is made to telescope or lit over anup'- wardly-projecting portion of the section next below and to restupon and be rigidly secured to a laterally-projecting iiange thereof,thus making water and dust proof joints between the sections. The pitman27 is arranged to operate with its main or body part in the open spacewithin the incasement outside of the wall 24 of reservoir l0, the wall24 occupying a position between the body part of the pitman and thelower part of the crank-disk, and the space between the crank-disk 32and the wall 24 is ample to admit the wrist-pin 83 and pitman-bearing 29in connection therewith when the pitinan stands at the lower limit ofits stroke, the downwardly-projecting part 28 of the pitrnan being ofsuch length and at such distance from the body part of the pitman as.

to operate clear of the wall 24 at all parts of its range of motion.

The cross-head 14 is provided with the slide IOO portions 19 and 19',having grooves 15 and 15', which are adapted to a slidable engagementwith the vertical bars or flanges 13 and 13', which may be eitherintegral parts of section C or separate parts rigidly secured thereto.The cross-head is also provided with the vertical aperture 14', whichwhen the crosshead is mounted, as shown in Fig. 1,' stands centrallyabove the vertical aperture of the tubular shaft 22, and the tubularreciprocating shaft 23 is adapted to be rigidly secured in the aperture14', preferably threaded and screwed therein, as shown, and extenddownwardly centrally through the tubular shaft 22, thus providing acentral vertical opening through the pivot portion of the windmillheadfor the pull-out cord 12, which is made to extend from the foot of thetower upwardly through said central opening -and over the guide-pulley11 just below the reservoir 10, from which it may in any convenient waybe made to extend around other guide sheaves or pulleys and connect tothe steering-vane of the Windmill in the usual manner for the purpose ofthrowing the wind-Wheel in or out of the wind. y

16 (shown in Figs. 1 and 5) is an oil-receptacle carried by thecross-head 14 and is preferably an integral part thereof, and thewristpin 17 on which the lower end of the pitman 27 is journaled, isanchored within it at a position below the level of the lubricant, sothat this end of the pitman is continuously lubricated thereby. Thepitman 27 extends upwardly from vthe wrist-pin 17 to a position abovethe wall 24 of reservoir 10, at which position it turns laterally so asto overhang said reservoir and is provided -with the dependent ordownwardly-projecting part 28, having formed at its lower extremity thewrist-pin or pivot-bearing 29, which is journaled on the wrist-pin 33 ofthe crank-disk 32.

5 is a crank or wheel shaft journaled in bearings 8 and 8', with aportion of it overhanging reservoir 1() and carrying the crank portionof the windmill in such manner that it is made to contact with thelubricant therein as it rotates, and therebyv lubricate the crankwrist-pin and atthe same time carry a portion of the lubricant up as itrevolves, so that it will fiow down uponthe incline portion 31" on theend of the -bearing 8', which is made to abut against the hub portion28' of the crank-disk. The incline 31" leads to suitable oil ducts orchannels, which conduct it partially to the shaft inside of said bearingand partially through oilways on the outside thereof, which lead intothe oilreservoir 9 below said bearing, from which the surplus therefromflows back into reservoir 10, from which it may be repeatedly used. Thebearings 8 and 8' are made rigid with the side bars and fr', which arepreferably'integral parts of said bearings and are for the purpose ofholding the bearings in perfect A alinement. These bearings are held inposition by the bolts m, which are made in a U or staple form and aredrawn tight by the nuts m', as shown in section in Fig. 3. The adjacentends of the bearings 8 and 8' are faced true with the shaft, and thecollarsnand a are machined to a true fit to the shaft and the end facesof the bearings, against which they are carefully adjusted and securedupon the shaft, preferably by set-screws, as shown. Itis desirable alsoto provide these collars with flanges that are larger in diameter thanthe end portion of the bearing abutting thereagainst, so that as theyrotate the lower part contacts with the oil in reservoir 9 and byadhesion carries a quantity of it over with them in such manner that aportion of it will flow down upon the incline 31 and 31', which leadinto channels c, which lead to the portion of the shaft Within thebearings, thus lubricating the shaft during the operation' ofthewindmill. rlhe bearing 8' may be amply lubricated direct from the crankportion; but as the collar n' is necessary in order to maintain theshaft in position and as it can be made to deliver oil in channel cWithout extra cost it is preferred to have oil delivered upon both endsof this bearing, so that there is at all times during the operation ofthe windmill a copious flow of oil onto and through the bearing. Theshaft-bearing supports 7' in the reservoir 9 are made to conform to theshape of the bearings as shown in cross-section in Fig. 3, so that whenbound firmly therein by the bolts m the bearings are so firmly fixed inrigid and perfect alinement that the shaft 5 is provided with bearingsthat are as perfect as if it were in bearings babbitted in an integralpart of the mill-head. Thus it is readily seen that any of the workingparts of the windmillhead that is su bject to excessive strain or wearcan at any time be easily removed and replaced by a new and like partwithout having to change any part of the main frame of thewindmill-head. y

In Fig. 6 is shown an end view of the bearing between the side bars wand x', which are here shown in section, and in broken lines at the topis outlined a cross-section of the oilchannel-c and the oil-hole thereinleading to the Yinterior of the bearing.

The pitman 27 is preferably provided with an aperture or opening 30,which extends through the body part opposite to the wristpinbearing 29,as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, so that the wrist-pin 33 may be readilyinserted or removed. In order to do this, the crank must be turned sothat the wrist-pinstands at a position above the top edge of thereservoirwall 24. Y

In Fig. 5 the cross-head 14 is shown with the cap or binding plate 18(see Fig. l) removed, so as to expose the wrist-pin 17, showing themanner in which it is secured therein by means of the plate 18 and thecap-screws 18', which bind it firmly in place, the wristpin being firstplaced in the pitman-bearing,

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then with the pitman end placed in position in the cross-head andsecured there, as above described.

What I claim as my invention isl. In combination, an incasementconstituting the main frame or turn-table of the windmill, a verticallyand substantially centrallyapertured pivotal anchorage portion arrangedat the lower part of said incasement, an oilreceptacle adjacent to thetop end of said anchorage portion, space for the operative mounting ofreciprocating mechanism within the lower portion of said incasement, anoilreceptacle arranged at one side within said incasement above theoperative range of said reciprocating mechanism, means, above saidlast-named receptacle,for the operative mounting of a rotatable member,and space at the side of said last-named receptacle within saidincasement for the operative range of a pitman that is adapted to beoperatively connected at one end to said member and at the other end tosaid reciprocating part.

2. In combination avertically-elongated incasement constituting the mainframe or turntable of the windmill, a vertically-arranged andsubstantially centrally-apertnred pivotal anchorage portion arranged atthe lower part of said incasement, an oil-reservoir surrounding theupper end of said anchorage portion, a reciprocating part operativelymounted within the lower part of said incasement, an oil-receptaclearranged at one side within said incasement above the operative range ofsaid reciprocating part, a rotatable shaft mounted above saidreceptacle, a wrist-pin anchored eccentrically to said shaft, and apitman adapted to be operatively journaled on said wristpin near itsupper end and extend downwardly past said receptacle and be operativelyconneclted to said reciprocating part near its lower enc 3. Incombination an incasement constituting the main frame or turn-table ofthe windmill, an opening through the bottom portion of said incasement,an oil-receptacle arranged within said incasement near the upper portionI thereof, a rotatable member mounted mainly above and arranged tooperate partially within said receptacle, a reciprocating part arrangedto extend operatively through the opening in said bottom portion, apitman adapted to be eccentrically pivoted near its upper end to saidrotatable member and to extend downwardly past said oil-receptacle andimpart re ciprocating motion to said reciprocating part upon therotation of said member, and means whereby the bearings of saidrotatable member may be automatically lubricated with oil taken fromsaid receptacle during the operation of the windmill.

pivot portion at the lower part of the incasement, an oil-reservoirwithin the incasement adjacent to said pivot portion, a rotatable shaftmounted horizontally at the upper portion of said incasement andprojecting into the main or body part thereof, another oil-reservoirarranged within said Aincasement upon the side adjacent to and belowsaid shaft, a crank made rigid with the part of said shaft that isdirectly above the reservoir, reciprocating power -transmittingmechanism operatively connected to said crank and adapted to extendoperatively downwardly within said incasement past said reservoirs andthrough said centrally apertured pivot portion, means whereby .thebearings of said shaft, crank, and reciprocating mechanism within saidincasement are automatically lubricated during the operation of thewindmill, Vand means for automatically returning the surplus lubricantdripping from said bearings into reservoirs where it is available forrepeated automaticuse.

5. In combination a vertically-elongated incasement constituting themain frame or turntable of the windmill and provided with asubstantially vertical centrally-apertured pivot portion at andprojecting partially upwardly within the lower portion of theincasement, a rotatable shaft mounted mainly to one side at theupperportion of said incasement and projecting partially into the mainor body part thereof, an oil-reservoir arranged within said incasementupon the side adjacent to and below said shaft, a crank made rigid withthe part of said shaft that is directly above said reservoir,reciprocating power-transmitting mechanism operatively connected withsaid crank and adapted to extend operatively downwardly within saidincasement past said reservoir and through said vertically-aperturedpivot portion, and means whereby the operative bearings of said shaft,crank, and reciprocating mechanism are automatically lubricated duringthe operation of the windmill.

6. In windmills in combination a verticallyelongated incasementcomprising three sections detachably secured together one above theother, a vertically-apertured pivotal anchorage portion, anoil-receptacle adjacent to said portion and rigid guide-bars extendingupwardly from said receptacle at the lower part of the lower-most ofsaid sections, and crank and shaft oil-receptacles made integral withthe intermediate of said sections.

7. In combination a vertically-elongated incasement constituting themain frame or turntable of the windmill and provided at its lower partwith a substantially vertically-apertured pivot portion, anoil-reservoir within said incasement adjacent to the upper part of saidpivot portion, vertical guide-bars made rigid with and extendingupwardly within saidincasement from opposite sides of saidoil-reservoir, a vertically-movable element adapted to aslidingengagement with said guide-bars and izo adapted to contact with thelubricant in said reservoir lupon its reciprocation, a vertical aperturethrough said element vertically above the vertical aperture of saidpivot portion, and' a tubular shaft rigidly secured in the aperture ofsaid element and adapted to reciprocate throughthe aperture of saidpivotportion.

8. In windmills, inicombination a' rotatable member and a reciprocatingpart, mounted one above the other, a pitman eccentrically pivoted tosaid member near one end and pivotally connected to said reciprocatingVpart near the other end,v a laterally-extending part near the upper endof said pitman having a dependent lportion and provided near theextremity of said portion with one of said pivotbearings, and anoil-receptacle so mounted that said extremity is made'to intermittentlycontact with the lubricant contained therein upon the rotation of saidmember. 4

9. In windmi1ls,'in combination a verticallyelongated incasementconstituting the main frame or turn-table, a rotatable member and areciprocating part operatively mounted within said incasement one abovethe other, a pitman eccentrically pivoted near one end toy said memberand pivotally connected, near the other end, in an oil-receptaclecarried by saidA reciprocating part, a downward projection near theupper end of said pitman provided near its extremity with one of saidpivot-bearings, and anothery oil-receptacle so, mounted within saidincasement that said downward projection is caused to intermittentlycontact with the lubricant contained therein upon the rotation of saidmember.

10. In windmills, in combination a vertically-.elongated incasementconstituting the main frame or turn-table and provided with anoil-receptacle arranged therein upon one side toward its upper portion`and another within the bottom portion, thereof, a reciprocating parthaving downwardly-projecting guide portions, and a rotatable member,mounted one above the other' and mainly within said incasement, a pitmaneccentrically pi-voted to said member near one end and pivotallyconnected to said reciprocating part near the other end, and a downwardprojection near the upper end of said pitman provided near its extremitywith one of said pivot-bearings, whereby said downwardly-projectin gportions of said pitman and reciprocating part are adapted tointermittently contactwith the lubricant in said receptacles upon therotation of said'member.

11;/ In windmil-ls, in combination a vertically-elongated incasementconstituting the main frame or turn-table and provided withoil-receptacles one arranged within upon one within said incasement, apitman eccentrically pivoted to said member near one end and near theother end pivoted within an oil-receptacle carried by said reciprocatingpart, and a downward projection near the upper end of said pitmanprovided near its extremity with one A of said pivot-bearings, wherebythe bearings of said member, pitman, and reciprocating part are adaptedto be automatically lubrierally-projecting part, a rotatable shaftjournaled in said bearings, an oil-receptacle within saidlaterally-projecting part below said shaft, and collars arranged uponsaid shaft abutting against the adjacent ends of said bearings andadapted to rotate with their lower portion'in contact with the lubricantin said receptacle whereby a quantity of said lubricant, upon therotation of said shaft, is elevated and delivered into channels uponsaid bearings which lead to the shaft-journals therein, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

13., In windmills, in combination spaced bearings carried by the mainframe or turntable, rigid side bars made integral with and uniting saidbearings,l a rotatable shaft journaled in said bearings, collars securedupon said shaft and adapted to rotatably abut against the adjacent endsof said bearings, and means whereby said bearings are rigidly anddetachably secured to said main frame or turn-table.

14:. In windmills, in combination spaced bearings carried by the mainframe or turntable ofthe windmill, rigid side bars made integral withand uniting said bearings their points of union therewith being, uponopposite sides and intermediate the end portions of the bearings,arotatable shaft journaled in said bearings, collars upon said shaftabutting against the adjacent ends of the bearings, and l integral withand uniting said bearings, a rotatable shaft j ournaled in saidbearings,an oilreceptacle below said shaft, oil-elevating disksurfacescarried by said shaft and arranged to rotate against the adjacent endsurfaces of said bearings and contacting at their lower portion with thelubricant contained in said receptacle, and oil-conducting channelsbeginning with acute edge portions bearing against said disk-surfacesand leading to the portion of the shaft within said bearings.

17. The combination, in the main frame or turn-table of a windmill-head,of averticallyelongated incasement adapted to inclose the reciprocatingmechanism of the said head, a part made integral with the saidincasement at its upper portion and adapted to carry a hori-Zontally-arranged rotatable shaft, a verticallyapertured pivot portionconstituting the lower part of the said incasement, and an oil-reservoirarranged upon one side within the said incasement and having its lowerextremity above the upper part of the said pivot portion.

18. The combination, in the main frame or turn-table of a windmill-head,of a verticallyelongated incasement constituting a protecting-inclosurefor the main power-transmitting elements of the reciprocating mechanismof the said head, a shaft-supporting part at the upper portion of thesaid incasement, a vertically-apertured pivot portion, an oil-storagereservoir so arranged that its bottom portion is below the upper limitsof the apertured part of the said pivot portion, another oil-storage'reservoir upon one side within the central portion of the saidincasement, and a cross-head guide extending from near the bottomupwardly within the said incasement.

19. In a windmill, in combination a vertically-elongated incasementconstituting the main frame or turn-table of the windmill-head and aprotecting-incasement for the wheelshaftjournalsandthemainpower-transmitting elements of the reciprocating mechanism of thesaid head, a wheel-Shaft-supporting part at the upper portion of thesaid incasement, a vertically-apertured pivot portion so arranged thatthe upper end of the said aperture opens into the said incasement, anoil-storage reservoir so arranged that its bottom portion is below theupper limits of the apertured part of the said pivot portion, andcross-head guideways extending from said reservoir upwardly within thesaid incasement.

20. In a windmill, in combination a vertically-elongated incasementconstituting the main frame or turn-table of the windmill-head and aprotecting-inclosure for the journal and sliding portions of the mainpower .transmitting and lubricating devices carried by the Said head, ashaft-supporting part constituting a portion of the upper structure ofthe said mainframe, a vertically-apertured pivot portion made integralwith the lower part of the said turn-table, and an oil-storage reservoiropening upwardly within and constituting an integral part of the centralportion of the said incasement.

21. In windmills, in combination a vertically-elongated incasementconstituting the main frame of the windmill-head, a vertical aperturethrough the bottom portion of said incasement, an oil-receptaclearranged within the incasement approximately midway between the bottomand top portions thereof, a

. rotatable shaft mounted above the level of said receptacle, awrist-pin anchored eccentrically to said shaft, a reciprocating partextending operatively through said vertical aperture, and a pitmanadapted to be operatively pivoted, to said wrist-pin, near its upper endand to extend downwardly within said incasement beyond saidoil-receptacle and impart reciprocating motion to said reciprocatingpart upon the rotation of said shaft.

22. In windmills, in combinationarotatable member and a reciprocatingpart, mounted with said member above said part, an oil-receptacle mainlybelow said member and above said reciprocating part, and a pitmanpivoted near its lower end to said part and provided near its upper endwith a downward projection, the extremity of which is eccentricallypivoted to said member and adapted to intermittently contact with thelubricant contained in said receptacle upon the rotation of said member.

23. In windmills, in combination a rotatable member and a reciprocatingpart, mounted one above the other, a pitman eccentrically pivoted nearone end to said member and pivotally connected to said part near theother end, a downward projection near the upper end of said pitmanprovided near its extremity with one of said pivot-bearings, and anoil-receptacle so mounted that said extremity is adapted tointermittently contact with the lubricant contained therein upon therotationl of said member.

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24E. In windmills, in combination a rotatable member and a reciprocatingpart mounted with said member above said part, `a pitman eccentricallypivoted to said member near its upper end and pivotally connected nearits lower end in an oil-receptacle which is mounted to move inconnection with said part, a downward projection near the upper end ofsaid pitman comprising near its extremity said upper pivot-bearing, andanother oil-receptacle so mounted that said upper pivot-bearing isadapted to intermittently contact with the lubricant contained thereinupon the rotation of said member.

25. In a windmill, in combination a main frame or turn-table, a rigidbracket constituting a part of the said turn-table, spaced bearingsrigidly but detachably secured to the said bracket, and rigid side barsmade integral with and uniting the said bearings.

WILLIAM P. BRETT.

Witnesses:

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